Cave

The National Monuments Service's description

In dense gorse on the lower NW-facing slope of Grange Hill at 91m OD. The cave penetrates a limestone knoll and is located at almost the highest point in the local landscape with panoramic views to the SW, W and NW. An enclosure (LI023-062----) lies 15m to SE and a standing stone (LI023-109----) 70m to W. Lough Gur (LI032-022001-/37) is not visible from the cave, it is 1.5km to S. The entrance to the cave is depicted on the OSi 1840 ed. 6-inch map 60m W of the summit of the hill at 109m OD. The entrance is not depicted on later historic OSi maps and is not visible on OSi orthoimages.
Grange Hill comprises a natural simple single-chambered limestone cave facing W (int. dims. L 5.8m E-W; entrance H 2.7m; rear H 1.8m; entrance Wth 6m N-S; rear Wth 2m N-S). The cave was formerly described as ‘permanently waterlogged’ (O’Kelly 1944, 47), though it was not waterlogged in 2003. Prof. M.J. O'Kelly recorded the discovery of a hoard of axes in this cave in 1917 or 1918. Two of the axes have been identified; one, a miniature porcellanite axe (7.6cm long), was brought to UCC Dept. of Archaeology; the second axe (26.7cm long) was a family heirloom in possession of the landowners (Dowd 2015, 114-5). The cave entrance appears to have been partly quarried in the late 19th or early 20th century. The location of the site is visible as a densely overgrown area on a Google Earth orthoimages taken 28/06/2018. The enclosure (LI023-262---) mistakenly identified as a 'Fort' by O'Kelly (1942, 46) is in fact the depiction of the cave entrance on the OSi 1840 ed. 6-inch map. Therefore the cave site (LI023-240----) and the enclosure (LI023-262----) are the same monument.

See attached Google Earth orthoimage

Compiled by: Edmond O’Donovan

Date of upload: 1 September 2020

References

Dowd, M. 2015 The archaeology of caves in Ireland. Oxford. Oxbow Books.

O'Kelly, M.J. 1944 A survey of the antiquities in the barony of Small County, Co. Limerick. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 4, 16-53.